Fran Goldthorp (born 11 January 2003) is an international

rugby league footballer A rugby league team consists of thirteen players on the field, with 4 substitutes on the bench. Each of the thirteen players is assigned a position, normally with a standardised number, which reflects their role in attack and defence, although pl ...

who plays at domestic level for

Leeds Rhinos Women Leeds Rhinos Women are a rugby league team based in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. The team is part of the Leeds Rhinos club and plays in the Women's Super League. They were the RFL Women's Super League champions in 2019 and 2022, and from 20 ...

in the Women's Super League primarily as a or on the . Goldthorp who is a student at

Loughborough University Loughborough University (abbreviated as ''Lough'' or ''Lboro'' for post-nominals) is a public research university in the market town of Loughborough, Leicestershire, England. It has been a university since 1966, but it dates back to 1909, when L ...

also plays rugby union for Loughborough Lightning in the

Premier 15s The Premier 15s, currently known for sponsorship purposes as the Allianz Premier 15s, is the top tier of the women's English rugby union domestic league system run by the Rugby Football Union (RFU). The league was created mainly from teams in t ...

Early and personal life

Born in Leeds, West Yorkshire, Goldthorp played rugby union and

cricket Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by striki ...

at junior level including captaining the Yorkshire Cricket Board under-15 team as they won the County Championship in 2018. Her brother Eliot is a footballer.

Club career

Goldthorp's first rugby league experience came with Guiseley Rangers which brought her to the attention of the Leeds Rhinos, who signed her the club's under-19 squad. Aged only 16, Goldthorp made her first team debut for the Rhinos against Castleford in a Women's Super League match on 28 April 2019. In the 2019 Women's Challenge Cup final, also against Castleford, Goldthorp scored a try as Leeds retained the cup. Goldthorp ended the debut season with two tries in the Grand Final, another meeting with Castleford. With the 2020 season cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic it was 2021 before Goldthorp played again. Although the Rhinos did not win any trophies during the 2021 season, Goldthorp set a new club try-scoring record with 20 tries in 12 games. Goldthorp was nominated for the

Woman of Steel The Woman of Steel (known as the Telegraph Woman of Steel for sponsorship reasons) is an award in English rugby league. It is awarded to the player of the year in the Women's Super League; the winner is determined by a poll of the players in t ...

award, losing out to

Jodie Cunningham Jodie Cunningham is an English rugby league footballer who plays as a or at international level for England women's national rugby league team, England and domestically for St Helens Women, St Helens in the RFL Women's Super League, Women's S ...

. In 2022 Goldthorp scored 13 tries in 15 appearances to help Leeds reach the final of the

Challenge Cup The Challenge Cup is a knockout rugby league cup competition organised by the Rugby Football League, held annually since 1896, with the exception of 1915–1919 and 1939–1940, due to World War I and World War II respectively. It involves am ...

and was in the team that beat York City Knights 12–4 in the Grand Final.

International career

Goldthorp's abilities were recognised with a call-up to the England squad and she made her international debut against on 26 June 2021, celebrating the occasion with her first international try. 2021 ended with a second England appearance, against in October. 2022 saw two more England appearances in the mid-season games, against France and Wales, scoring a try against France and two against Wales. In September 2022, Goldthorp was named in the England squad for the World Cup to be held in November 2022.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Goldthorp, Fran 2003 births Living people England women's national rugby league team players English female rugby league players English female rugby union players Leeds Rhinos Women players Loughborough Lightning Rugby league centres Rugby league players from Leeds Rugby league wingers Rugby league fullbacks Rugby union fullbacks